Actually, it is not called the Horoscope Study. It is called the Barnum Effect. Horoscopes are an example of the Barnum effect, as are nebulous personality tests (usually the ones for entertainment).
A number of corporations that have utilized high quality personality tests as a part of the interview process experience lower employee turnover (thus lower training costs), and overall higher quality employees. Personality tests should not be the only thing used, but they are useful tool for finding people with the characteristics that fit the so called "mold".
Thanks for correcting my failing memories! Barnum, as in Phineas T. Googling turned up an interesting excercise (on handwriting analysis, and its use in job interviews no less!) over at pbs.org
September 8. 12 years experience ranging from 3-person startup to fortune-100 telco. Strong Java, Perl, VB. Equally happy with Solaris/Linux/freeBSD/Windows environs, can live with HPUX.
$110k plus benefits, some travel OK.
Where are you?
Usually about 2nd-year psyc students learn about the Horoscope Study. The main reason cited by believers of astrology is that the descriptions are stunningly accurate. The trick is, they are stunningly accurate for ANYONE, not just you.
I don't know what survey your employer used, but you spent some effort to complete the survey, expecting that a well-designed system would evaluate some qualitative aspects of you. When presented with results, you subconciously hoped to be:
described accurately
described favorably
This subconcious desire on your part made you willing to forgive minor points that didn't fit your desired outcome, and willing to magnify points which did fit the desired outcome.
Again, I don't know what survey you used, and there certainly are valid personality tests out there, but don't get too freaked out when one seems to describe you to a T.
I have a cheap NavMan GPS receiver for my palm III (bought when Rand Mcnally dropped the price to $50) which reports the time about 5 minutes off! I'm using Compass from gpspilot.com to view the NavMan's data. The Lat/Lon are reported correctly, as is the altitude. As such, the heading and speed calculations also come out correct. What's really odd to me is that it works at all if it doesn't know the correct time -- I thought that's the whole idea behind GPS.
Please don't try to blame my watch for the problem -- I live and work in Boulder and set my watch to the definition of Correct Time. For a good time, call 303-499-7111.
Mount the antenna externally, but design
an enclosure
that will blend in with the exterior?
Yes, I realize the example link is for an accent light, not an 802.11 antenna. Use some creativity.
In the trains (trams, really) that connect Denver International Airport terminal to the concourses, there's kinetic art on the walls as well as "flipbook" style animated sculpture. I suppose it's only a matter of time until United books ad space there, but it hasn't happened yet.
Now where did I put that 64 ounce coffee mug?
From alt.sysadmin.recovery, back when usenet was still really cool:
"I used to drink 6 cups of coffee in the morning and 6 in the afternoon.
This worried my cow orkers. Now I've cut down to 4.
A well, maybe I should have left the fam @ home if I wanted a good view.
The weather was great, the skies were clear (for the first time in a week) and the campsite remote enough for a spectacular view of the sky.
But I was out cold for the good viewing hours both nights we were there.
As an aside -- I don't think I've ever got 3 "Overrated"s before!
I use my mobile phone while I'm mobile. I use my laptop while I'm sitting down (else it wouldn't be a laptop, now would it?) It's always nice to recall where we've been, but comparing wifi hotspots to the Rabbit project is comparing apples to oranges. (Apologies for the analogy-links, I couldn't resist)
The basic plan sounds good on paper -- get all the tracks in all the major labels available in one place, and sell full-sample-rate tracks for 25centa a pop. Try it for a time and see how it goes.
Only problem is that P2P networks are still up. This idea would have been great pre-napster, but not today. What you'll have is a small percentage of the P2P users spend a small amount of cash to build up libraries, then those libraries are shared and the RIAA site doesn't rake in the fees like they thought they would. how's that phrase go? "Bzzzt, but thanks for playing!"
IIRC, Microsoft would have been in violation of the settlement if it hadn't done this by now
It's kind of hard to be in violation of a settlement's terms before the settlement is made final. Not flamebait, nor flame. Just pointing out that there is no final decree against microsoft yet.
It's the folks at Apple plugging OS X a la the Folks at Disney plugging "Signs". But personally, I like to think the universe is running X windows, and these galaxies are simply screen-savers.
Re:Other Interesting Moments in Usenet History
on
1985 Usenet About Y2k
·
· Score: 1, Offtopic
It amazes me people can refuse access. Even if you believe in the virtual sancitity of private property you own, until the survey is done, you don't know you own it. Couldn't the state argue that, to know where your "denial" begins, they need to get on your land anyway?
In some parts of the county (Mississippi, to be precise) the state survey crews have been greeted by shotgun-toting farmers (ranchers? I've not spent a lot of time in MS) when the survey crews come to call. When I say they are refusing access, I don't mean some lawyer in a suit, I mean a very simple, literal (and effective!) refusal. In a very rural setting like this, the survey crew isn't going to get a lot of support from the local sherrif, and the state law enforcement has better things to do.
For that matter, say Farmer Johnson thinks the well is on his land. Can't he grant access for the survey team to walk the perimeter of his land, and then see where the well ends up?
In many cases, this is exactly how the state (dept of revenue in some places, dept of environmental quality in others) is getting the job done. Doesn't always work though, there may be several wells along the property line, some on each side. It's an agrarian Prisoner's Dillema! What's always been funny to me is that the state agencies that care about well locations don't care at all about property lines. One of the most effective efforts involved establishing fixed points for differential GPS, then sending backpack-sized receivers in with the well maintenance crews. It's a nutty industry all around.
Slashdot Mirror
1: Create cool open source stuff
2: Get ripped off by a for-profit outfit
3: Prove it, and sue
4: Profit!
September 8. 12 years experience ranging from 3-person startup to fortune-100 telco. Strong Java, Perl, VB. Equally happy with Solaris/Linux/freeBSD/Windows environs, can live with HPUX.
$110k plus benefits, some travel OK.
Where are you?
I don't know what survey your employer used, but you spent some effort to complete the survey, expecting that a well-designed system would evaluate some qualitative aspects of you. When presented with results, you subconciously hoped to be:
- described accurately
- described favorably
This subconcious desire on your part made you willing to forgive minor points that didn't fit your desired outcome, and willing to magnify points which did fit the desired outcome.Again, I don't know what survey you used, and there certainly are valid personality tests out there, but don't get too freaked out when one seems to describe you to a T.
I have a cheap NavMan GPS receiver for my palm III (bought when Rand Mcnally dropped the price to $50) which reports the time about 5 minutes off!
I'm using Compass from gpspilot.com to view the NavMan's data. The Lat/Lon are reported correctly, as is the altitude. As such, the heading and speed calculations also come out correct. What's really odd to me is that it works at all if it doesn't know the correct time -- I thought that's the whole idea behind GPS.
Please don't try to blame my watch for the problem -- I live and work in Boulder and set my watch to the definition of Correct Time.
For a good time, call 303-499-7111.
Moses just had to go to the water to make it recede, Joshua had to get his feet wet before he saw results!
Mount the antenna externally, but design an enclosure that will blend in with the exterior?
Yes, I realize the example link is for an accent light, not an 802.11 antenna. Use some creativity.
However, if your like myself and have no creative skills whatsoever...
...or language skills, apparently. The contraction of "you are" is "you're."
I realize it's harmless, but ManConquersSpaceEnter.html is abbreviated MCSEnter, and the MCSE doesn't get past the firewall here.
In the trains (trams, really) that connect Denver International Airport terminal to the concourses, there's kinetic art on the walls as well as "flipbook" style animated sculpture.
I suppose it's only a matter of time until United books ad space there, but it hasn't happened yet.
Now where did I put that 64 ounce coffee mug?
From alt.sysadmin.recovery, back when usenet was still really cool:
"I used to drink 6 cups of coffee in the morning and 6 in the afternoon.
This worried my cow orkers. Now I've cut down to 4.
Took me ages to find a cup that big"
I give this one until April 2003 before it's struck down. Anyone else want to pick a date for this patent's demise?
Wait a minute, maybe I should patent the "Recreational use of a weblog for purpose of 'dead-pooling' on absurd patents" Yeah, that's the ticket!
Sigh.... Another link to alt.folklore.urban FAQ coming right up...
Let's see, where did I leave it? Ah yes, right about here
A well, maybe I should have left the fam @ home if I wanted a good view.
The weather was great, the skies were clear (for the first time in a week) and the campsite remote enough for a spectacular view of the sky.
But I was out cold for the good viewing hours both nights we were there.
As an aside -- I don't think I've ever got 3 "Overrated"s before!
If you were to arrive in a new city, without any knowledge of local dining, where would you eat and why?
I'll be in a plane over the Atlantic during the height of the showers... does that mean I'll get a kick-ass view?
Up-close and personal, you might even say!
Taking the fam, going camping far far away from the city lights.
Have a nice weekend!
I use my mobile phone while I'm mobile. I use my laptop while I'm sitting down (else it wouldn't be a laptop, now would it?)
It's always nice to recall where we've been, but comparing wifi hotspots to the Rabbit project is comparing apples to oranges.
(Apologies for the analogy-links, I couldn't resist)
engineered with Linux in mind
Perfect for dropping off inconspicuous items in the workplace!
But what the heck....
The basic plan sounds good on paper -- get all the tracks in all the major labels available in one place, and sell full-sample-rate tracks for 25centa a pop. Try it for a time and see how it goes.
Only problem is that P2P networks are still up. This idea would have been great pre-napster, but not today. What you'll have is a small percentage of the P2P users spend a small amount of cash to build up libraries, then those libraries are shared and the RIAA site doesn't rake in the fees like they thought they would.
how's that phrase go? "Bzzzt, but thanks for playing!"
Not flamebait, nor flame. Just pointing out that there is no final decree against microsoft yet.
It's the folks at Apple plugging OS X a la the Folks at Disney plugging "Signs".
But personally, I like to think the universe is running X windows, and these galaxies are simply screen-savers.
Or how about http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=37290&cid=4001 678 ?
What's always been funny to me is that the state agencies that care about well locations don't care at all about property lines. One of the most effective efforts involved establishing fixed points for differential GPS, then sending backpack-sized receivers in with the well maintenance crews. It's a nutty industry all around.